This invention is directed to a coin chute assembly in which the coin slide is provided with a plurality of coin slots adapted to receive coins disposed in a vertical or standing on edge position to permit the assembly to accommodate a greater number of coins than was heretofor possible. The assembly includes a coin sizing subassembly which cooperates with a blocking dog member to render the coin slide operative only when properly sized coins are deposited in the coin slots. The assembly further includes inter-engaging channels and posts on the assembly housing and the coin slide, respectively, to restrict access to the internal mechanism of the assembly by persons intent on tampering and/or damaging the mechanism so as to operate the coin slide either with spurious coins or with no coins at all positioned in the coin slide.
Coin chute assemblies are usually installed on commercial appliances such as clothes washers, dryers, vending machines and the like. The assembly typically is enclosed within a housing mounted on the appliance or machine. The assembly includes a coin chute having a coin slide reciprocally mounted in a guide track for inserted and retracted movement. The coin slide is formed having one or more coin receiving slots whereby the presence of an appropriately sized coin in the slot is operative to allow inward or inserted movement of the coin slide to the operate position thereof. The inner end of the coin slide is provided with an operator for actuating the appliance or machine upon continued inserted movement of the slide inwardly of the assembly to its operate position.
The housing of the assembly usually is provided with a locked coin drawer which prevents unauthorized access to a coin receptacle located below and in spaced relation to the coin slide. The arrangement is such that the coins necessary to operate the appliance or machine are carried by the coin slide upon inserted movement of the slide to its operate position whereupon the coins exit from the assembly through suitable openings thereby to be transmitted to the coin receptacle.
In the prior art, there are numerous types of coin chute assemblies which are operable by means of a plurality of coins carried by the coin slide in a flat or horizontal position. One such assembly is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,285 dated Sept. 9, 1980 in the name of Harry Greenwald, et al. While the aforesaid patent has proven very reliable in operation and has experienced commercial success in the marketplace, there is a practical limit as to the number of coins that can be accommodated in the coin slide when the coins are disposed in a flatwise position. In this regard, it has been found that a coin chute assembly can accommodate a greater number of coins if the assembly is designed to accept the coins in a vertical or standing on edge position. The advantage in such an arrangement is to afford the vending machine operator an increased range of prices, within limits, from which he can select the specific amount and denomination of coins necessary to operate the appliance or machine.
To this end, the prior art also includes coin chute assemblies operable by a plurality of coins disposed in a vertical or standing on edge position. These references are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,440 dated Jan. 23, 1973 also in the name of Harry Greenwald, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,962 dated May 15, 1973 in the name of Mitchell A. Hall. Applicants also are aware of commercially available coin chute assemblies manufactured by The Maytag Company, Newton, Iowa, and by Equipment System and Devices, Inc. Philadelphia, Pa., each operable by a plurality of coins disposed in a vertical position. However, each of these known assemblies suffer from the limitation of being able to accommodate only three or five coins thereby limiting the maximum amount or dollar evaluation of the coins necessary to operate the appliance or machine. For example, in the case where the coin slide can receive only five coins all of which are quarters, the maximum dollar amount that can be selected by the vending machine operator to operate the appliance or machine is $1.25.
Furthermore, the known coin chute assemblies heretofor available for accepting coins in a vertical position are not entirely effective in preventing tampering with or destruction of the internal coin chute mechanism. The present invention represents a considerable improvement over the heretofor known assemblies both in terms of versatility and mode of operation, as well as in simplicity of construction. The present invention also includes an improved coin sizing subassembly to insure that only properly sized coins are used to operate the appliance or machine.